There Is A Silence
by Lastavica
Summary: Tony can't sleep and apparently others can't either. Or, Tony seeks solidarity without actually interacting with another human. One shot.


_**Here's a little thing I wrote. Hope you enjoy it. :D**_

_**This is set after the Avengers and before Iron Man 3. Pepper & Tony haven't headed back to California yet, nor has Tony's anxiety hit a critical point yet.**_

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It was 5:15 in the morning when Tony wandered into his workshop. The place was his safe haven and, while the one in his Malibu home was closest to his heart, he simply referred to this one as the "New York Branch".

As he entered the space, lights came on, Jarvis greeted him, and as usual he felt completely at home. He never felt alone with Jarvis or his bots. They were always there for him and could always be counted on.

Nightmares had been keeping him up and he just couldn't face another one so he finally got out of bed and made some coffee. Barely two weeks ago, New York had been a battle ground. Every night since, so had his mind.

Tony put the steaming mug to his lips while his eyes scanned the screens he had just opened.

"J, who opened up the systems tonight?" he asked the AI as his fingers moved across the clear surfaces. Somebody had accessed the Tower's computer system only 30 minutes earlier.

"That would be Agent Barton, sir."

Tony took another sip of coffee and began poking through what Barton had been looking at.

It was all footage from SHIELD's database, and it was from the helicarrier. At that point Tony figured he knew what Barton had checked, but he was bored and looked anyway. Opening up the files, the screens came to life with Romanov and Barton fighting in the bowels of the ship. Tony squinted, looking closer at the faces. Barton was not there at all. His eyes, gleaming with an artificial blue, were cold and bent on murder. Natasha's eyes was focused and full of life, her life. She was taking back her friend and wouldn't stop fighting until she saw _him_ again.

Tony sat back and watched until Barton was being dragged away by SHIELD personnel. He closed the screen.

"J, how many times has Barton accessed SHIELD security footage from the Tower?"

"26 time, sir."

Tony blew out a sigh.

For a second he thought maybe he might talk to Romanoff, but knew he wouldn't. It was likely that Natasha knew about it. Tony, Pepper, everyone could see how tight Clint and Natasha were. No one had needed to ask. It was very clear.

On the other hand, Tony thought...

"Jarvis, how many times has Agent Romanoff accessed this?"

"Four times, sir."

Tony would not dream of approaching her about it. That was something dark, something deep, and it was between her and Barton. Even Tony Stark could see that.

"What was she looking at?" He asked vaguely.

A new video opened. It was Romanoff with Loki. Tony had not seen this. He knew that Romanoff had manipulated Loki and inadvertently gotten him to talk, but he never listened to what was spoken between them. He heard it now.

_"I won't touch, Barton. Not until I make him kill you..."_

Tony remained perfectly still as he listened to Loki's rant. No matter what front Natasha put up at the end, she had still gone back to that moment more than once. Loki's words struck a nerve.

Tony closed the files and sat back. The hairs on the back of his neck rose suddenly. He felt the sensation that somebody was watching him, and for a instant his eyes glanced up toward the air vents. With a nervous chuckle he shook off the feeling. Ridiculous.

.

At 3:37 in the morning the following day, still struggling to sleep, Tony stepped once again into his workshop. He opened up the systems and felt an itch of curiosity mixed with concern. Had Clint been obsessing some more? Had Natasha? His curiosity got the better of him. He had to know. Tony checked and more SHIELD footage had in fact been accessed. This time, though, it was the hanger of the carrier. It was the hulk.

_"They are not your enemies, Banner. Try to think!"_

That instant of Thor's words had been played back six times in a five minute period. It could not have been Clint that time.

"Jarvis." Tony said. "Was this accessed by Barton as well?" He knew the answer, but he asked anyway.

"Actually it was Dr. Banner, sir."

That made Tony pause. Had Bruce been looking for signs of himself in the video? Just as Clint seemed to have done.

"Crap. We're all pathetic." Tony sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.

He got up, left Jarvis to shut everything down, and went back to attempt sleeping again. Something about knowing that he wasn't the only one still freaking out about the whole mess was somehow comforting. Still, it didn't quite help him sleep and soon he was back tinkering in the workshop.

Nights continued the same way. After two nights of the same routine, Jarvis began bringing up all the most recently accessed video footage as soon as Tony would arrive. Seeing what Clint or Bruce, or even Natasha had been accessing quickly stopped being about curiosity or concern. Tony was seeking solidarity with them. It was indirect and bordered on creepy, but it comforted him. He wasn't alone. He wasn't the only one affected.

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**Title taken from the song "Ultraviolet" by U2.**

**_"There is a silence that comes to a house where no one can sleep."_**


End file.
